Chapter 5

"Logan just joined the company. I couldn't embarrass him in front of everyone, or he’d have a hard time establishing authority."

So, to help her lover establish authority, her first move was to step on me.

"Ethan, try to be understanding. It's just a temporary marriage and a baby. Do you have to push me at every turn?"

"I already promised you that once the divorce is finalized, I won't have anything to do with him. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? Can't you just be a man and show some maturity?"

"I’ll transfer some money to your account. Why don't you take a vacation? Go travel for a bit and stay out of our way."

"Don't worry, Logan and I won't do anything real. I will always belong to you."

Looking at her face, which was twisted into an expression of utter disappointment in *me*, my heart completely shattered.

"I get it," I said softly. "I'll hand over all my projects to Logan. I won't interfere with the company anymore."

"Ethan, that's not what I meant..."

I nodded, not wanting to hear another word. I had originally planned to wrap up some loose ends before leaving, but now, there was no point.

In Chloe's world, Logan was all she needed. Nothing else mattered.

I turned and walked out of the office without looking back.

Over the next few days, I stopped going to the office entirely, trying my best to stay out of their lives. But Logan was relentless. Every time some trivial thing happened between him and Chloe, he’d send me updates on Snapchat.

*Ethan, the mattress you picked out is really soft. You’ve got great taste. The silk pajamas fit me perfectly too.*

*Ethan, I noticed you left some luxury watches in the closet. I’m going to borrow a few. You don’t mind, right?*

*I’ll take your silence as a yes.*

*By the way, your wife is amazing in bed. I'll make sure to take good care of her for you.*

As the messages grew more graphic and disgusting, I blocked his notifications.

I knew Chloe. Since they were living under the same roof, even without Logan's bragging, I knew exactly what was happening.

I stayed holed up in my condo for days. On the night before my departure, a close friend insisted on throwing me a farewell party, so I finally went out.

He booked a private room at an upscale lounge.

When I arrived, a row of gorgeous female hosts was lined up in the room. My friend clapped me on the shoulder. "Take your pick."

I looked at him, confused. "What is this?"

"Come on, man. I know what happened. There are plenty of fish in the sea. These girls are top-tier. Look at those faces, those bodies. None of them are worse than Chloe."

"If you ask me, Chloe is a fool. She had a golden husband and threw him away for some broke loser like Logan."

"Without you, would her company ever have reached this level? If she were still drowning in her father's debt, Logan wouldn't even look at her twice!"

I knew my friends were just trying to stand up for me. But just because Chloe was cheap didn't mean I was going to degrade myself to get back at her.

"You know me better than that," I said. "Send them away."

But before my friend could dismiss the hosts, the heavy doors of the private room were pushed open.

Chloe stepped inside, clutching Logan's hand.

My friend’s face instantly dropped. He nudged the guy next to him and muttered, "Who the hell invited her? Didn't I say this was a private party for Ethan?"

"I swear, man, everyone here is in our circle. Nobody would have invited Chloe!"

Ignoring the tense atmosphere, Chloe swept her eyes over the female hosts and marched straight toward me.

"Ethan! We just got divorced, and you’re already in a place like this picking out girls?!"

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